


Speechless

by sempre_balla



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Soen no Kiseki/Akatsuki no Megami | Fire Emblem Path of Radiance/Radiant Dawn
Genre: F/F, Fluff, Love Confessions, Miscommunication
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-19
Updated: 2019-12-19
Packaged: 2021-02-26 07:41:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,400
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21859987
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sempre_balla/pseuds/sempre_balla
Summary: Confessing your love can be very difficult when you don't speak the same language as the person you have feelings for. Nevertheless, Leanne tries.
Relationships: Elincia Ridell Crimea/Leanne
Comments: 6
Kudos: 36





	Speechless

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first fic for [House of the Lily](https://twitter.com/YuriRenaissance/), a wonderful fanzine that celebrates f/f relationships in Fire Emblem games. I will be posting my second piece tomorrow, which is centered on a different pair of Tellius lesbians, so stay tuned!!
> 
> Additionally, a big thanks to [Laurencin](https://twitter.com/Iaurencin/) for drawing a lovely cover of this fic for the zine, and to my good friend [Sophie](https://twitter.com/amenochigalileo/) for some much needed beta work.

It is an indisputable fact, in Elincia’s opinion, that Princess Leanne is wonderful. She is pure, courageous, boundlessly kind and hard-working beyond what her title requires her to be. Leanne is many, many things. But above all else, and in every aspect, she is beautiful. In body and soul, in heart and in mind, the heron princess is nothing but worthy of admiration. Every second that Elincia can spend with her is a treasure, the air that they breathe together always feels a little lighter, and Elincia deems herself lucky to have found such an incredible friend. 

When the war ended and their armies parted, Elincia resigned herself to not seeing Leanne in a long while, aware that incredibly busy days were ahead. She longed to see her winged friend again, but no sensible queen would allow herself to leave her country for a personal visit after said country recently suffered a civil war that nearly dethroned her. However, when Elincia proposed certain policies to normalize the coexistence of the laguz and the beorc in Crimea and the other beorc rulers decided to go with similar policies in their respective countries, the united bird tribes pitched in and decided to send a heron royal to each country so they could act as ambassadors—after all, the heron laguz were frail and unsuited for combat, so they could act as perfect symbols of peace. Elincia did not know which one of the royals would be assigned to Crimea, so when Leanne herself showed up at her doorstep, a radiant smile gracing her features and her arms open to pull Elincia into a long hug, the queen could do nothing but rejoice.

Initially, Elincia was worried. Leanne was not fluent in the modern tongue yet, having had no time to study it during the war, and diplomacy might prove difficult for someone who can barely speak the same language as the people around her. However, Leanne has always been uncannily good at getting through to others and laying their emotions bare. With only a few broken words and a gentle touch, she became Elincia’s greatest strength at one of the lowest points in her life, and she had now gained the favor of the Crimean nobles and the common people alike with those qualities alone. Elincia was relieved that things were going well and overjoyed that she had Leanne’s company again, but something started weighing on her mind: Leanne’s unusual behavior towards her. The heron princess has always been affectionate, but since they reunited, she had been acting differently towards Elincia.

“Queen Elincia!” Leanne exclaimed on her first night in Crimea, grasping Elincia’s hands tightly. “I love you.”

Elincia’s heart warmed at the words and at the confidence in which they were spoken. It was easy to tell that the princess had rehearsed the words beforehand, which was terribly flattering, so Elincia smiled and squeezed Leanne’s hands. 

“I love you too, Princess Leanne,” she told her sincerely. “Your presence brightens every corner of Castle Crimea.”

Leanne smiled and leaned in a little closer, but when Elincia didn’t move and looked at her questioningly, Leanne’s expression fell. She pulled back and took her hands away, frowning at the ground. 

“Is something wrong?” Elincia asked, suddenly concerned, and Leanne nodded. 

“No… not… not that…” She paused, said something in the ancient language, then her frown deepened. “Love… different?”

“Different? Whatever do you mean?”

Leanne made a frustrated noise and tried to explain what she meant, but in the end, Elincia didn’t understand her at all. Later on, when she asked Nealuchi—who had kindly come to Crimea to escort Leanne—to translate for her, he shook his head. 

“This is something the princess wants to convey on her own,” he said, so they left it at that. 

They had a few more interactions in a similar vein after that, many of which had Leanne telling Elincia that she loved her and Elincia responding in kind, only to continue with Leanne trying to explain something about differences, and saying “not like that” without being able to communicate anything further. Elincia decided to be patient with her friend and let her take her time, expecting those strange conversations to be the only oddity that Leanne brought with her. 

They were not. A few weeks later, Leanne started clinging to Elincia, both literally and figuratively. Wherever Elincia went, Leanne followed, spending more time with her than her own retainers did. Elincia was not going to complain—after all, there weren’t many things she desired more than Leanne’s company—but the princess’s clinginess was not shown through her presence alone; it also came with copious amounts of physical contact. Elincia had to get used to a delicate arm permanently looped through hers, to the soft tickle of Leanne’s long hair and pristine white feathers against her skin, to the gentle warmth of the heron and the quiet humming that she uttered under her breath. It was pleasant, but Elincia had never been this close to another person before and she did not know how to react. There was no reason to be flustered or embarrassed, but she could not help the heat that rose to her cheeks whenever Leanne would lean her face against Elincia’s shoulder, or speak so close to her that Elincia could feel her breath on her skin. 

“Princess Leanne?” Elincia asked on one of these instances, her face warm and her voice shaky. “Are you cold? Or lonely? Is there anything you need?”

“No?” Leanne replied. And then, as if her proximity wasn’t enough, she smiled in such a radiant manner that Elincia felt the need to look away. “I… really happy… here, with Elincia.”

Something about those words struck Elincia, made her heartbeat quicken and throat tighten, but she could not discern why. She told herself that she was just unaccustomed to that kind of closeness, and that the feeling would go away eventually.

It didn’t, not really. It was only accentuated when Princess Leanne skipped towards her one morning and dumped a bunch of fresh berries in her hands. She had hand-picked them, apparently, and wanted Elincia to have them. It was hardly what anyone would call a gift befitting a queen, but Elincia loved it because there was effort behind it. It did not stop there: Leanne would do the same in the following days with flowers, a beautiful stone the color of Elincia’s hair, and a different, even more delicious and rare type of berries.

The queen very much appreciated the gifts, as well as the attention and closeness of her friend, but she could not deny her confusion about it all. She could only wonder if this was a part of heron culture, a different approach to friendships than the one she was used to. She is pondering this very thing, trying to decide if she should just ask Leanne about it or if that would be disrespectful, when she hears the rustling sound of Leanne’s long skirts in the wind. 

“Ah, Princess Leanne,” Elincia calls, turning to see her friend walking out on to the balcony and bowing her head slightly in greeting. “Lovely evening, is it not?”

“Yes,” Leanne replies, looking at her intently. Her brows are furrowed. “Lovely.”

Elincia instinctively does the same, leaning down to get a better look at Leanne’s features. 

“You look troubled. Are you unwell?”

Leanne shakes her head. She reaches forward, taking Elincia’s hand in hers and squeezing it softly. Used to this kind of gesture by now, the queen lets it happen, observing her friend’s expression. She looks frustrated, her mouth opening and closing as if she’s trying to find words that will not come to her. Elincia smiles sympathetically, turning her hand over so she can wrap her fingers around Leanne’s and squeeze reassuringly. 

“Elincia…” Leanne says, bringing her hand close to her face and gazing at it before her eyes drift back up to the queen’s. “I… I…” 

“Take your time,” she soothes, rubbing her thumb along Leanne’s knuckles. 

“Elincia… my love…”

Her heart jumps to her throat at the wording. She has to remind herself that Leanne does not mean it _that_ way, but she can’t help being a little flustered regardless.

“Your love what?” she prompts slowly, kindly, wishing Leanne to keep talking. Her words do not have the intended effect however, because the heron presses her lips into a tight line, frustration evident in her features. The sight makes Elincia falter, her grip on Leanne’s hand slacking.

Unsure on how to proceed, she waits in silence, examining her friend’s expression. Something Elincia absolutely adores about Leanne is how easy she is to read, how transparent the heron is with her every emotion. When one lives among the court, most of the people that surround you are full of deception and hidden intentions, and a significant part of why Elincia struggled so much when she first ascended to the throne was her inability to distrust those around her. A pure and innocent part of her was lost when she took the crown of Crimea. Her retainers taught her caution and distrust, something she secretly loathed to learn but could not refuse. After all, it was for the good of her country and her people.

Leanne, however, is different. She is a princess, a noblewoman of high caliber, but she always wears her heart on her sleeve. As a heron laguz, Leanne has a high sensitivity that allows her to perceive and feel the emotions of the people that surround her as easily as she can breathe. While that is the reason why she wilts and sickens during times of war and strife, it is also something that makes her flourish in times of peace. That ability to read the feelings of others seems to compel her to let them do the same with her: she is open and trusting, and that is something that Elincia loves, _needs_. It is why the queen felt comfortable dropping to her knees and crying into Leanne’s warm embrace all those months ago, when everything was being taken away from her and the weight of her crown was crushing her soul. It is also why now, on a balcony of her own home, in the very place where those tears were shed, she can see the heron’s emotions fluctuate as clear as day. Leanne’s frustration persists, but it also morphs. Ever admirable, ever amazing, the princess turns it into something stronger, a fierce determination that makes her frown more beautiful because it is not one of distress, but one of fortitude.

The hand that Leanne is still holding twitches when the princess brings it closer to her chest. She turns it slowly, gently, and places it flat against her breast, right above her heart. She lets go of it only briefly, just so she can place her own hands over Elincia’s, and press.

Under Elincia’s touch, a heartbeat. Rapid, thundering, and _palpable_. It is warm under her palm, and it gets warmer still as the queen feels her own heartbeat quickening to match Leanne’s own. Something is starting to click into place, but before Elincia can make sense of her feelings, Leanne speaks again.

“This… these… are my feelings,” she says, her soft voice taking an uncharacteristically loud tone, her words a melody to Elincia’s ears. “I love you.”

The wind picks up, the gentle breeze becoming stronger, yet remaining kind when it caresses Leanne’s hair, making it move around her like a halo, like something divine. Leanne herself is that very wind, a breath of fresh air in Elincia’s suffocating life, gentle but fierce, a presence that engulfs the space she occupies and makes it easier to breathe in. And yet, in that very moment, Elincia’s breath catches in her throat. She cannot inhale or exhale, lest she disturb this perfect moment, this beautiful realization.

Oh, how _blind_ she was, to Leanne’s feelings and to her own. It is so obvious now, when she thinks back to the heron’s more-than-clear declarations, to her physical closeness and her abundant gifts, and the frustration she expressed when Elincia unintentionally brushed her off as if they were offers of friendship, rather than love. Oh, it is almost _baffling_ how Elincia herself did not realize what was happening in her own heart. To be so moved by Leanne’s presence, to feel so warmed by her words, to miss her so deeply when she was gone and feel like the world righted itself when she came back. Elincia and Leanne share a bond of friendship, but that friendship has developed: appreciation becoming yearning, fondness becoming _love_.

Goodness, and she hasn’t even given a reply! She opens her mouth but words get stuck in her throat when Leanne smiles at her, wide and radiant, happiness brightening her beautiful green eyes. Wordlessly, the heron reaches forward with one of her hands, grazing her fingertips above Elincia’s heart, making her breath catch once again when she flattens her palm there, feeling the queen’s heartbeat.

She can feel it, can she not? Her heart, her feelings, everything became clear to Leanne from the very moment Elincia realized it all. She doesn’t have to say a word for Leanne to know that her love is understood and reciprocated, but after the princess’s efforts, after she painstakingly attempted to communicate her love through actions and words over and over again? She deserves Elincia to pour effort into her too; she deserves the openness she has given and much, _much_ more.

Elincia, more shaken than she has ever felt, places her free hand above the one Leanne has over her heart, mirroring their positions, and smiles as well.

“I love you too, Leanne,” she says, intentionally forgoing the title. “My apologies for taking so long. Thank you... for waiting.”

Leanne shakes her head, her smile softening on her lips. “Anything for you,” she says effortlessly, as if she has never spoken truer words.

Oh, how touching it all is, and how wonderful it feels to see the frustration ebb away from her beloved’s form, her narrow shoulders relaxing and sagging forward. Elincia lets go of Leanne only to open her arms in a clear invitation and the heron steps into her embrace easily, like this is how they were always meant to be: happy and in love, together in each other’s arms.

**Author's Note:**

> You can find me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/deformedcities/).


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